The Meaning of Philippians 4:20 Explained

Philippians 4:20

KJV: Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

YLT: and to God, even our Father, is the glory -- to the ages of the ages. Amen.

Darby: But to our God and Father be glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

ASV: Now unto our God and Father be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Discover Philippians 4:20

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Philippians 4:20?

MEANING: What does Philippians 4:20 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Philippians 4:20 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Philippians 4:20?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now  unto God  and  our  Father  [be] glory  for  ever  and ever.  Amen. 

What does Philippians 4:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Paul closed this section with a doxology in which he praised God for His providential care. God"s care comes to us through His Song of Solomon , and He often uses His people as His channels of blessing. Nevertheless ultimately God is the provider of His people"s needs. May we ever be mindful of this truth and be grateful to Him!
We cannot read this pericope ( Philippians 4:10-20) thoughtfully without appreciating the apostle Paul"s sensitivity to his Philippian readers. He was careful to balance what he said. He wanted them to understand his genuine gratitude for their gifts on the one hand and his contentment with whatever God sent his way on the other. In our day we tend to go to one of these extremes or the other in dealing with those who give us gifts. We may give these people the impression that we do not appreciate their gift, or we may lead them to conclude that we are greedy. A proper balance must rest on genuine contentment and should communicate both appreciation and faith.
William Dalton identified four elements common in both the prologue ( Philippians 1:3-26) and the epilogue ( Philippians 4:10-20). Paul"s return to these ideas in the epilogue ties the book together and gives it unity.
". . . we seem to have evidence of an inclusion which binds the whole letter into one unit. First of all, the idea of partnership is strongly expressed at the beginning and the end. Thus in Philippians 1:5 Paul is "thankful for your partnership (koinonia) in the gospel"; and in Philippians 4:15 he records that "no church entered into partnership in giving and receiving except you only." This partnership is reiterated in another parallel: in Philippians 1:7 the Philippians are sharers (sugkoinonous) of grace with Paul; in Philippians 4:13 they are sharers (sugkoinonesantes) with him in his trouble. At both beginning and end we have the same idea expressed in different ways: the long-standing partnership of the Philippians with Paul: "from the first day until now" ( Philippians 1:5), and "in the beginning of the gospel" ( Philippians 4:15). And finally the reciprocal attitude of sympathy between Paul and the Philippians is expressed in the same phrase; in Philippians 1:7 he says "it is right for me to feel this about you" (touto phronein huper panton humon), and in Philippians 4:10, "You have revived your concern for me" (to huper emoi phronein)." [1]

Context Summary

Philippians 4:10-23 - "my God Shall Supply Every Need"
The Apostle had been glad to receive the gifts of his friends, because these evidenced their earnest religious life. It was fruit that increased to their account. On his own part he had learned one of the greatest of lessons-contentment with whatever state he found himself in. This is a secret that can only be acquired by our experience of life in the will of God. When once the soul lives in God and finds its highest ideal in the fulfillment of His will, it becomes absolutely assured that all things which are necessary will be added. All things are possible to those who derive their daily strength from God.
It is wonderful to hear Paul say that he abounded, Philippians 4:18. A prison, a chain, a meager existence! The great ones of the world would have ridiculed the idea that any could be said to abound in such conditions. But they could not imagine the other hemisphere in which Paul lived; and out of his own blessed experience of what Christ could do, he promised that one's every need would be supplied. God's measure is his riches in glory; and his channel is Jesus Christ. Let us learn from Philippians 4:18 that every gift to God's children which is given from a pure motive is acceptable to Him as a fragrant sacrifice. That reference in Philippians 4:22 shows that Paul was making good use of his stay in Rome [source]

Chapter Summary: Philippians 4

1  From particular admonitions,
4  he proceeds to general exhortations,
10  showing how he rejoiced at their generosity toward him while in prison
19  And so he concludes with prayer and salutations

Greek Commentary for Philippians 4:20

The glory [η δοχα]
“The doxology flows out of the joy of the whole epistle” (Bengel). [source]

What do the individual words in Philippians 4:20 mean?

To now [the] God and Father of us [is] [be] the glory to the ages of the ages Amen
τῷ δὲ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων ἀμήν

δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
Θεῷ  [the]  God 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
Πατρὶ  Father 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
ἡμῶν  of  us  [is] 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἡ  [be]  the 
Parse: Article, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δόξα  glory 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: δόξα  
Sense: opinion, judgment, view.
αἰῶνας  ages 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: αἰών  
Sense: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
αἰώνων  ages 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: αἰών  
Sense: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.
ἀμήν  Amen 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.

What are the major concepts related to Philippians 4:20?

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